Nokia Here Maps: Uber and Carmakers Want to Buy Nokia's Map Service; Are They Testing Out a Self-Driving Car?

Uber and three automakers are trying to buy Nokia's Here maps service. The purchase would distance these companies from Google's map services and could mean that they are testing out a self-driving car, Fox News reports.

Uber has offered as much as $3 billion for Here, according to data from the New York Times. Uber wants to end ties with Google and enter the logistics business.

Three German carmakers are also trying to make a deal with Here. BMW, Volkswagen's Audi and Daimler's Mercedes-Benz are working with Chinese search engine Baidu to make offers of their own.

The report from the New York Times says that Nokia expects to sell Here by the end of May.

The carmakers interest in Here has led many to speculate that they are trying to build their own self-driving vehicles. Self-driving vehicles require extremely detailed road maps. By using Here maps instead of Google, the carmakers would be able to distance themselves from Google. Google is trying to build its own self-driving car.

"Autonomous driving is going to require extremely accurate maps," Karl Brauer, a senior analyst at Kelley Blue Book said. "There's definitely the issue of being beholden to one group that has the best mapping capabilities."

Early prototypes that are using Here technology have been built by manufacturers such as Mercedes-Benz.

More mobile users utilize Google Maps, but Here is installed in most cars' navigation systems. On its website, Nokia says that four out of five cars in North America and Europe use the maps.

Uber has long wanted to get into the business of transporting goods as well as people.

With Here, Uber would have its own map service that it could use to navigate items it was shipping, much like United Parcel Service and FedEx do.

"I think Uber wants to be a major cog in the machine that supports an autonomous driving network. Mapping technology would allow them to do that," Brauer said.

A Nokia spokesperson mentioned that the company is performing a strategic review of the business and selling Here would make sense.